Double Trouble
by SunsetJello394
Summary: Max is surfing the internet when she comes across her possible twin sister! Will she go investigate? set after MR4. every type of review welcome FAX? very much so!
1. Max Has A Twin?

The Internet. Sigh. How did we ever live without it? Oh yeah, that's right. We were too busy worrying about _staying alive_ to worry about getting the latest updates from Twitter.

While I was running a search on combat boots (Do you know how hard it is to find a decent pair of women's size 8½ combat boots? Didn't think so.) I saw who another bidder had been on the auction for the boots. Her screen name was "kenziekjonas" and she had a picture of herself (at least I assumed it was her) beside her screen name. That picture stopped me in my tracks. "kenziekjonas" could be my twin sister! She looked exactly like me, but her hair was more of a honey blonde than the chestnut brown mine was. I clicked her picture and it led me to a page on a social networking site. Apparently, kenziekjonas's name was McKenzie Kohler, and she had a major crush on Nick Jonas, as was apparent from the photo-shopped pictures of McKenzie and Nick. Each picture of her, her friends, her and some extremely hot guy I assumed was her boyfriend, made me catch my breath a little bit more.

This girl looked exactly like me. There was no getting over or ignoring that fact. I took a deep breath, and then shakily walked to Fang's room, right across from mine. He was looking at used guitars for sale on eBay. I shook his shoulder and said, "Fang. You have to come see this."

I'd known for a couple months now that I had a twin, which Jeb and Mom had no idea where she was. They had explained that she had not been injected with bird genes; that even though we were identical twins, we were not identical in the biggest way. I had wings and she did not. I'd searched for her briefly when I first found out, but the only information I had to work off of was the fact that she looked exactly like me. Mom didn't know anything about my twin except for what she told me. And now I'd found someone _my exact age_ (her birthday was listed on the page, and it was the same as mine. Mom had told me that I'd had a normal human birth, except for the whole wings thing. So now I knew the exact date of my birthday.), who looked _exactly like me_. Quelle coincidence? I didn't think so.

I steered Fang towards my computer desk. He read through the profile and sighed, like, _Not this again_. "You want to investigate, don't you?" It was scary how well Fang knew me. Or maybe this was becoming routine to him, me finding new family members every time I turned around.

"Yeah, I do," I said. "If it were a lead on any of the others, we'd go for it too. You know that. Just because I've found my parents and the others haven't, that doesn't mean that this is any less a lead." I felt bad, since I'd found four family members (Dr. Martinez, Ella, Jeb, Ari) and the others had found next to none. Fang didn't have a clue about his parents; we thought we'd found Iggy's parents, but they tried to sell him out when they discovered his wings; Nudge thought maybe she'd found her mom in Arizona but wasn't sure; and Angel and Gazzy's mom had apparently sold them to the whitecoats for $10,000. I was freaking rich in the family department, as compared to their poverty in that area. God.

"We'll have to do some more research before we try to go find her. We can't just go looking for someone when we don't know where they are. Does it list any schools or something on her page?" I didn't think she'd be that stupid (after all, she was related to me, maybe), but I decided to humor Fang. We had to start somewhere.

I looked over her page and zeroed in on the pictures. The pictures of her friends and herself showed them in some sort of a navy blue uniform. Sure enough, the emblem on their shirts was for a private school. It showed a red and gold phoenix and the name of the school: Jeanne d'Arc Academy for Young Women. She went to a school named after Joan of Arc? Even if the rest of it sounded kinda stuck up, Joan of Arc was awesome.

Fang scooted me out of the computer chair and took my place as I landed on my unmade bed. He did a quick Google on Jeanne d'Arc Academy and found out that it was in Westchester, New York, about half an hour from New York City. Oh, so we really were dealing with rich ones here. Great. Just the kind of people I like dealing with on a regular basis. Right…

I have to admit that put me off a bit. The rich people I've been around have tended to use their wealth for developing genetic hybrids, so you see why I might have been a bit wary, to say the least. But I HAD to find out if she was my twin. I just HAD to. If I didn't, she would always be my biggest what-if.

I snapped out of my reverie to find Fang staring at me. "Max, you don't have to do this right now. She'll still be there in six months. If you're not ready, we can wait." As always, Fang saw straight to the white-hot center of the problem with me. Was I really ready to have a twin? I had just barely adjusted to the thought of having a basically ready-made biological family: mom, dad, half-sister, dead half-brother and all. It still kinda blew my mind that I got lucky enough to have the one person I would have _wanted_, would have _chosen_, as a mom. It didn't seem fair. However, Fate seemed to be making up for that stroke of fortune pretty well.

"Fang, the thing is we don't know what we'll be doing in six months. We could be on the run again; we could be still here, going to school in Arizona. But I think we should jump at the chance while we have time."


	2. Breaking Up Is Even Harder To Do Twice

Fang sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. Hmm. He was due for another haircut, not that he would listen to me about it. "Max, I appreciate the fact that you want to find _yet another_ of your family members. Believe me. Really, I do. But don't you think that for once we need to concentrate on _our_ family, without worrying about taking another person on? Angel still has nightmares about Ari's death. None of us trust Jeb all the way again yet. Gazzy and Iggy just try to forget all that. And Nudge is doing the best she can. Can't we just live a normal life for once? I think we at least owe it to the younger kids."

Wow, that was the longest speech I'd heard Fang make in a _long_ time. He must feel really strongly about this. He had an iron will and I knew he'd try to fight if I made an executive decision. But then again, my will was just as steely. We'd gone head-to-head many times before, and we'd always come out intact. "Fang, remember when Angel made us watch that movie about the alien and the little girl in Hawaii? "Milo and Twitch" or something? Well, they said the Hawaiian word for family was "ohana". And "ohana" means no one gets left behind or forgotten. Do you see what I'm saying?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. But_ you_ can talk to your Mom and Ella and the kids about it. I'll go with you, but just because if I don't, who knows what kind of trouble you'll end up in?" Okay, well Fang was convinced, however begrudgingly. One down, seven to go.

I tentatively voiced what else I was thinking. "I think that everybody else should stay here. Angel and Nudge are involved in their school play, and Gazzy and Iggy don't need an excuse to use their new firebombs. I don't know how, but they'd find a way to use them. Also, they need to remain under what little protection they have here. If we drag them all the way back to New York, who knows what might show up? For this to work, Fang, I think it needs to be just us."

"I think we need to talk to your parents about this. At dinner tonight. I hear Mom's making actual burritos." Fang grinned, and I couldn't help but grin too. Fang had changed so much in the past year. It used to be that he never grinned or even cracked a smile. But now that we were truly safe, he could relax. It made him a lot easier to be around. I glowed inside when I heard how casually he called Dr. Martinez Mom, because it meant he was finally adjusting. But somehow, it also made me the tiniest bit uncomfortable, like he shouldn't be calling her that, because she was MY mother, not his.

Fang shook my arm, not bothering to be gentle. "Yo Max, snap out of it."

I shook my head, saying, "Sorry. Dinner tonight. Gotcha." I waved Fang back out of my room, wondering how in the world I was going to break to Mom that I wanted to leave her. Again.


	3. Procrastination

I lingered in my room, not eager to face my mom. She would understand: that I was sure of, but she wouldn't be happy about it. I wasn't worried about getting permission (even though I love her, I've never felt comfortable with asking permission for something I was most likely going to do anyway, permission or no). But I hated to see her worried like she would be when I told her Fang and I were taking off (again) for an indeterminate amount of time.

I messed around on my new Mac some more, IMing my best friend Shaye Davenport and making a new playlist on iTunes. As I did an email pinged on my screen. It was from Brett Lennox, a guy at school who was in my Geometry class. He was nice and helped me when I had no idea what Mr. Dalton was talking about, although I didn't know how he got my email address. I clicked on the blinking yellow envelope.

From: doompegasus21

To: sunsetjello67

Subject: dance?

Hey Max,

I was wondering if you were planning on going to the dance on Friday. It's from eight to eleven in the gym at school. If you haven't already been asked by somebody, I'd like to take you. :) Write back soon.

See you,

Brett

I sighed. Brett was really nice, but I never knew he felt that way about me. Did I like him that way? It didn't really matter, since I planned to be gone by Friday, seeing as how today was Tuesday. I closed the window without replying, and then I flopped on my unmade (of course) bed. As soon as I hit the purple-striped sheets, Mom called up the stairs. It was go time. I had to tell her about leaving.

**AN: I know this chapter was short, but I had to build up to the big confrontation scene. And, since I have forgotten on **_**every single chapter thus far**_**……**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but the plot of this story. Capisce?**


	4. Confrontation

I walked down the stairs slowly, dreading Mom's reaction, although I'm not sure why. She would understand. She wouldn't be upset. She would even support my decision. But I would be leaving her and hurting her, and therein lies the problem. I reached the table, the last person to sit down, and grabbed a burrito. Hacking a huge bite out of it (none of us had quite given up our survival instinct of eating as much as possible when it was available); I listened to the conversation, trying to determine the best way to broach the subject.

Angel and Nudge were discussing (read: arguing over) what outfits to wear to the cast party after the opening night of their school play, Charlotte's Web. Angel was playing Fern – naturally – and Nudge was the costume designer. Iggy and Gazzy were having a conversation in hushed tones. The only words I could decipher were "grenade" and "smoke". I decided not to get into that one at the moment. Fang, as usual, was eating in silence by my side, keeping a watchful eye over everything. Mom and Ella were arguing over Ella's choice of dress for the upcoming dance – she had chosen something scarlet and strappy, something Mom judged as completely inappropriate for Ella's tender age of twelve.

I took a gulp of milk (Mom's authentic burritos were _spicy_) and cleared my throat. "Mom, I think I might have found my twin sister. Um, online." I faltered, realizing how hokey and stupid the whole thing sounded. "She looks exactly like me, and I kind of want to go check her out."

This, needless to say, halted all conversations. It even shut Nudge up. _Wow_.

"I found her on a social networking site – MySpace. She says she lives in Westchester, New York. So um, I think Fang and I - _just_ Fang and I – need to leave as soon as possible. Is that okay with you?" I stirred the refried beans around on my plate, fully aware of everybody's eyes but Fang's on me.

Mom, on the other side of me, put a hand on my shoulder. "Whatever you need to do, cariña. I trust you. Do you need me to excuse you from school?"

Wow. That was...not near as harsh or heart wrenching as I imagined it. Actually, she took it pretty well. Well… that was one obstacle out of the way.

After dinner was over and the leftovers were put away (Ha ha, didja catch that? I made a joke! Leftovers!!!! Oh, I just kill myself with my humor…), I went back up to my room and found Fang sitting on my computer chair. Oh great. I had a weird sense of foreboding about where this conversation was going to go…

**Ooh!!! What does Fang want to talk about? Will they ever finally leave? Why did Dr. Martinez let Max off so easily? Keep reading as I update and you won't be disappointed!!!**

**Thank you guys so much for reading and favoriting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**DISCLAIMER: Once again, I claim no ownership to anything but the plot. If you have an issue with that, well……… I guess you'll have to take it up with JP's legal team……**


	5. I Knew This Would Happen

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Unfortunately. **

Fang got up and sat down on my bed, and motioned for me to sit down next to him. I crossed my legs and sat up straight. Fang sighed and said, "Max, are you sure you've though this through? It seems like a lot of emotional upheaval to me. I don't know if you've recovered from Ari, and this seems like a set up for more heartbreak to me." Again, Fang just seems to be Mr. Care-Bear-oh-let's-all-demonstrate-our-feelings recently. What gives?

"I know what I'm getting into. And now that I've told my mom, I'm leaving with or without you. Personally, I'd prefer you go with me but whatever." I'd given him an ultimatum, and I could see in his expression what he had chosen. Of course he had chosen to go with me. He felt too responsible for my personal well-being to willingly abandon me like that.

"Okay Max, I can see you're not going to change your mind. I'll go with you, but I know I'm going to be the one to pick up the pieces when she doesn't want anything to do with you, or tries to exploit you or something like that."

"Fang," I said, giving him a warning glare, albeit a half-hearted one. I knew he just was worried about me. "By the way, I'm over Ari. I hated him for a long time, and even though we made amends I'm not all that choked up anymore. You know me. I grieved and now I'm moving on, okay?" Fang just nodded and brushed my hair away from my face. I held my breath. Every time he touched me recently, I felt like I wanted to run away, yet stay there forever at the same time. It was definitely not a sibling thing either. What was _with_ me?

Suddenly I was deathly afraid of what lay in store for me in New York. I would be going out into unprotected territory again, and I had no idea if this girl was really even my twin. To my absolute horror, I begin to choke up with Fang not six inches away.

Fang whispered, "See Max, I knew this would happen," and he pulled me into his arms as tiny tears leaked out of the very corners of my eyes. I laid my head on his chest and locked my arms around his neck as if he was the only thing preventing me from succumbing to the intense wave of emotion and uncertainty I was suddenly fighting off. We lay there for a long time, until I drifted off. I fell asleep easily, because I knew that Fang wouldn't let anything happen to me. And I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure he didn't fall asleep the entire night. He stayed awake, staring off into the distance, and occasionally pressing his face into my hair.

_Well_. I guess that answered _that_ question.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I finally got around to some serious Faxness, but there's LOTS more to come!!! I can almost guarantee they will leave and possibly arrive in NY in the next chapter. Please leave a review and tell me what you'd like to see in the next few chapters or in the rest of the story! THANKS A GAZILLION FOR READING AND FAVORITING!!!!!!!**

**~MidnightWriterGrrl95, aka TheObsessedFanGirl**

**Love and peace!!! 3**


	6. Departure

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Fo sho, mo fos. (Yeah, that's right, I'm gangsta. Just kidding, I'm the furthest thing FROM gangsta!)**

I woke up the next morning disoriented. Fang was gone, and I was tucked neatly into my bed – weird, because I toss and turn like no other. I guessed he had to go back to his room so Mom wouldn't get suspicious and try to have another "talk" with me about Fang. Now THAT was the definition of awkward.

I stumbled to the bathroom, still half-asleep, and smelled the fragrance of freshly-cooked breakfast from downstairs. Mmm, smelled like huevos rancheros. Delish. I love eggs (ironically enough), but Iggy never seemed to get huevos rancheros quite right.

I ran a brush through my hair, brushed my teeth on hyper-speed, then went to Fang's room to tell him we needed to eat breakfast then get going. He wasn't there. I panicked, because after all I've been through, a missing flock member means trouble. I checked the circuit of rooms in the hall (Mom had added an addition on to her house when we moved in with her. We each had our own small room, which was awesome because we finally got some privacy, but sometimes we all ended up in one room, because we can't stand to be away from each other for very long.) Nada –everyone was downstairs eating breakfast. I checked my room – the last place I expected him to be – and he was lounging on my computer chair like nothing was wrong. I tried to act mad, but I couldn't because I was too relieved.

"Fang, we need to eat breakfast, and then get our feathery butts on the road. We need to leave as soon as possible so we can get back as soon as possible. Pack the usual."

The "usual" was food – usually granola bars, dried fruit, trail mix, beef jerky, and some chocolate (for when Fang got cranky); a change of clothes; first aid kit; laptop – Fang's blog was still going strong, even though we really had no encounters to report at the moment, thank God; money – Mom's job as a vet kept her pretty loaded, plus Jeb seemed to have a never-ending stash of cash when he came to visit; and his cell phone.

I had already packed my bag, ready to flee at a moment's notice. I had all the same, plus my own laptop and BlackBerry. Mom had gotten us all cell phones, because as she put it, "I never know what kind of emergency you might have."

We double-checked our backpacks wordlessly, the night before hanging in the room like one-hundred percent humidity. "All systems go," I said weakly.

Fang followed me out of my room as I went downstairs, out my bag by the door, and plopped down at the breakfast table.

"Mom, this looks delicious!" I commented, and I proceeded to pile my plate high with Mexican-cooked eggs. I shoved the hot food in my mouth and washed it down with two glasses of milk. The other kids were talking and fighting as usual. I ignored them, instead concentrating on fang. He didn't look worried or anything, but then again how could you tell?

I finished my breakfast with a meaningful glance at Fang, and then said, "Okay, guys, we have to leave now."

I was instantly bombarded by my entire flock, plus Ella and Mom. They were all saying things like, "Max, be safe!" and "We'll miss you so much!" and, notably, "Max, don't let Fang break your heart this time." That, interestingly and troublingly enough, came from Angel. She was one scary mind-reading kid.

I returned all of their well-wishes, and then I gave all of them a hug and a kiss. Then the same thing happened to Fang. I could barely see him through all the bird-kids and other people! When they all finally backed off, I walked toward the front door and hoisted my backpack onto my back. Fang did the same.

We walked outside and got a running start, snapping out our wings at the last possible moment. When we were a hundred feet or so in the air, I felt… _home_. And then I looked back down, and I saw tears in everybody's eyes. How could I leave them again? I resolved to get this over with as soon as possible.

Fang, who had been flying silently beside me for the last ten minutes, spoke up. "Max, you're doing the right thing. They'll be all right, we'll be alright, and we'll find this chick. It'll be alright."

I desperately wanted to believe him, but something was nagging me in the pit of my stomach…

**AN: Yeah yeah, I know the chapter is long. But I couldn't find a good breaking point, plus I don't have time to mess with it. Darn Algebra!!!!!!**

**Thank you for reading and favoriting! If you'd like to say something about my story or suggest something, go ahead: REVIEW!**

**Much love and peace,**

**MidnightWriterGrrl95, aka TheObsessedFanGirl**


	7. Little Emu

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING. DON'T YOU GET IT YET???**

**AN: This chapter is kinda choppy, seeing as how it's broken up into three sections. Please deal as best as you can; I've had a kuh-RAZY day and I still can't keep a train of thought longer than ten minutes! As always, thanks a kajillion for reading, favoriting, and reviewing!!! Love and peace! –MidnightWriterGirl, aka TheObsessedFanGirl**

We flew in silence for another six hours or so. Fang was never much of a talker, and we were conserving our energy for flying. Then all of a sudden Fang spoke up.

"You know Max, what happens if this chick isn't your twin? And how do you plan on approaching her? It's not as if you can just whip out your wings and be all 'Hey, I'm your long-lost twin sister you never knew you had, who's up for sushi?' It doesn't work that way. God Max, did you think this one out at _all_?"

"Fang, I know what I'm getting into! And I haven't _quite _figured out how I'm going to approach her, but I'm not stupid enough to do it in a way that could jeopardize our safety and anonymity!" I was fuming, but I knew he was just concerned. But then again, he was being a huge idiot. God, these days it was like he was an entirely different person.

Fang and I fumed in silence until it was dark and we had to stop for the night. After a full day of flying, we were about half-way to New York. I zoomed in with my raptor-vision on the nearest road sign.

I called to Fang. "We're over Jefferson City, Missouri. Wanna stop here or wait 'til we can find something a bit smaller?"

Fang, always the voice of (annoying) reason, said, "You know we can't hold out much longer. Let's just find a nice park and settle in."

We passed over a bridge, and the full force of the city spread out below us. I saw the capitol building, looking uncannily like the one in DC (which brought back bad memories that I quickly swatted away) and the expanse of the city beyond that. Wow. I forgot there were cities this big, which actually wasn't that big. But the town Mom and Ella lives in (and now us, I have to remind myself everyday) was a minute desert town. Compared to Whiteriver, Arizona, (population 5,220), this was a freaking metropolis.

Fang scouted out a park – according to the sign, Memorial Park. It was in the middle of a neighborhood, but there was a playground. We settled in underneath the big play structure, where there was a burrow of sorts. Fang pulled out a couple granola bars and some trail mix, and foisted a few bars and a handful of trail mix on to me. I took them gratefully, and finished them within a few minutes, washing them down with half of the half-gallon water bottle we had brought. Fang finished off the rest of the water bottle, and then pulled out his laptop to update his blog.

I fell asleep on Fang's shoulder, listening to the click of his keyboard.

***

The next morning I woke up to the sounds of screaming kids.

"Oh, crap." Fang said, oh so eloquently, beside me. I squinted into the bright Missouri morning, and saw that there was a small group of early-morning playground users giggling and pointing at us.

"Mommy, there's two big kids making out under there!" What the H?! We weren't doing anything, and why would this kid's mother want to know that even if we were?! This was not going to end well.

Fang shoved all our stuff back into our backpacks, and nodded, mouthing "little emu". This was our code word for escaping via "ignore everyone and run until you can take off safely". This seemed like an okay maneuver, so I nodded back. We crawled out from under the structure (ignoring the shocked expressions on the mothers' faces) and dodged all the toddlers and slightly older kids. As I broke through the crowd, I spotted a little girl who had Angel's fine, blond hair and big baby blues. My heart gave a pang, and I kicked it into high gear.

"Fang, let's get going!" I shouted, somewhat exasperated. Those kids just kept coming outta nowhere! We finally got into a somewhat clear area, and took a running head start. God. What a way to start a morning.

***

A little after five that day, I spotted a familiar skyline. I called to Fang. "Hey, O Dark and Powerful One. We're here. New York City, the city that never sleeps."

**AN: Readers, they're heeeeere! (Say in a Ricky-Ricardo-esque voice, a la "Lucy, I'm hoooome!") Ominous, aren't I? ;) Well since I'm feeling looooooooopy today, which makes me generous, here is a preview of the next chapter!**

**PREVIEW: We get to meet Kenzie (maybe) and her totally smokin' hot boyfriend (possibly) and her certifiable over-protective parents (perhaps) and her demon-disguised-as-a-chihuahua, Sasha (feasibly). There, was that vague enough for you? ;) Much love and peace for reading, favoriting, ad REVIEWING!!!!**


	8. Join the I Hate Meredith Club

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!!!**

After we touched down, I said to Fang, "Okay, I don't know about you, but I'm tired and hungry. Where are we going to sleep tonight?"

A mischievous grin that reminded me painfully of Gazzy and Iggy crept on to Fang's face. "Well personally, I'm not so hot on getting caught sleeping in the trees in Central Park again. What do you think about getting a hotel? It's not like we don't have the cash this time."

I could feel the hot blush on my cheeks and the momentary shock. "Can you just imagine how that would look to the clerk? Two fifteen-year-olds with no adult accompaniment? No, I'm not going to look like the poster child for teen pregnancy waiting to happen."

"Oh, come on. We'll just flash Jeb's platinum credit card at the clerk and he'll be falling all over himself to get us the best room available."

I could feel my jaw pop open with an audible smack. "You stole Jeb's American Express?!"

Fang shrugged. "Last time he came to visit he gave it to me in case of dire emergency. I think preventing us from looking like homeless people qualifies as an emergency."

My head felt like I had just experienced one of Iggy's stun grenades. Why hadn't Jeb given it to me? Was I untrustworthy? Sometimes I wish the Voice was still there, to provide some semblance of an answer when I'm completely lost.

I shook my head briskly, and then broke into a coughing fit, which gathered the attention of several pedestrians on the street. I glared (Whatever, don't they know it's not polite to stare? God knows I've been stared at enough in my lifetime), and they quickly looked away. "Sure, fine, we'll get a hotel. But you're responsible for the cover story if we get questioned, okay?"

Fang grinned. "I knew you would give in. Let's go find the nearest Hilton and then go see what NYC's eating scene has to offer."

I couldn't deny how good that sounded. We walked a few more blocks until we saw a fancy building with a script 'W' on the outside. "Will this suffice, Miss Paris? Or were you really hoping for one of your daddy's hotels?"

Fang shrugged, so I tentatively pushed open the heavy revolving door. The lobby was huge, with at least twenty plush couches arranged in squares on the white-marble floor, and at least six or seven chandeliers hanging from the cavernous ceiling, sparkly enough to make Angel and Nudge squeal in delight, had they been here. To the left, there were five glass-and-metal elevators going all the way up.

Fang dug in his pocket for his wallet and pulled out the never-been-swiped black credit card with Jeb's name on it, leading the way to the desk on the far wall.

We finally arrived at the polished cherry-wood check-in desk, and Fang was already turning on the charm for the size double-zero, model-gorgeous check-in girl. "Hey there. I need a room for an indeterminate amount of time. I'm sure you can finagle that, because you must be as beautiful to your boss as you are to me." I could have sworn he winked at her.

The girl, who looked about eighteen or nineteen and whose nametag said Meredith, had an expression of mixed flattery and confusion on her face. That was probably a result of getting attention from Fang (who, as I knew all too well, was not horribly disfigured in any way) and thinking I was his girlfriend; two notions that did not go together well in her head.

She got over that pretty quickly, though, because she leaned in closer over the reflective desk and said, "I'll see what I can do for you." I noticed she talked directly to him, as she flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder, and clicked at her computer.

Fang had taken the American Express card back out and held it casually, as if waiting to pay. After a few more clicks, (a sound, by the way, that was rapidly getting on my nerves), Meredith looked back up at Fang and said, "So…what are you in town for?"

Fang didn't skip a beat as he said, "My parents, my sister Sue here, and I live in the penthouse of our building, but the whole building's getting fumigated. There wasn't enough room at Mom and Pop's hotel, so they let me pick where Sue and I stayed. I can see I made the right choice, with such competent employees." He smoldered at her and it made my heart twang, because he'd looked at _me_ that way, once upon a time.

"I like guys with big…vocabularies," Meredith purred, as she gave him the once-over (Has she no shame?!?!) before going back to scanning her monitor.

She stood up straighter, and read from her computer screen. "We have a double-bed suite available for twelve-hundred a night. Will that be suitable?"

I spoke up for the first time, asking, "What floor is it on?"

"It's in the top floor, which coincidentally also contains our pool and hot tub," she said, and I could practically see the scenarios playing out in her head. I crossed my arms to keep from decking her.

Fang spoke before I could, already knowing the reasoning behind my question. "We'll take it. Here's my dad's card." He handed over the card, somewhat reluctantly, and Meredith rang it up. She handed us each a silvery card key.

"Your room number is listed on the cards. Have a nice stay, Mr. Batchelder," she said, winking at Fang again. God, did she have some sort of facial tic?

He smiled at her before finally turning around. After we were out of hearing range and safely on one of the glass elevators, I rounded on Fang. "You weren't seriously flirting with her, were you? Or falling for her incredibly perverted line?"

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and said, "Do I detect a hint of jealousy? And no, I was just trying to get us a room without her prying too far. Thus the sister explanation and flirting."

"Oh…" I said, embarrassed at having even thought he would like her.

We reached our room in silence. As I pulled out my card key to slide it into the slot on the door handle, Fang took hold of my forearm, which was still strong from the kickboxing class I had signed up for to maintain my fighting skills. "You know, I like girls with a little more meat on their bones." He gently squeezed my arm. Then he moved his hand to my hair. Having his hand that close to my face made my breath catch. "Plus, I like brunettes better than blondes."

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks a gazillion million for reading, favoriting, and reviewing!!! I appreciate that so much!!! I'm sorry I didn't exactly write about what I **_**said**_** I would, but that will come up in the next FEW chapters. **

**Much love and peace,**

**TheObsessedFanGirl, aka MidnightWriterGirl95**


	9. AUTHOR NOTE PLEASE READ

**THIS IS AN AUTHOR'S NOTE. NOT A NEW CHAPTER, UNFORTUNATELY. =(**

Hey guys, I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I fully realize I have disappointed a lot of people and for that I sincerely apologize. I got caught up in a lot of stuff and lost track of a lot of things. Updates on this story will be put on indefinite hiatus, but I promise you that it WILL get done eventually. What I think I'm going to do is write several chapters at a time and then upload several days in a row, or finish the entire story and then put up a chapter a day, or something along the lines of these things. I have two more days of finals for school and then I'm off until January sixth or so, so I'll have lots of time to update. Thank you to all who have reviewed and favorite; you guys are the best!

Merry Christmas – or whatever holiday you celebrate! =D

Side note – my author name has been changed to SunsetJello in an effort to cut down on confusion on my end, as SunsetJello is now my standard name for a most other sites, but when I started this account I had not yet begun using it. Many apologies for any confusion this may cause!


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